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Faecal excretion in infants
E Sievers1, H D Oldigs, G Schulz-Lell
1Department of Paediatrics, University of Kiel, Germany.
Insights
Infant diet significantly impacts bowel movements. Breastfed infants have lower fecal weight and more variable gut transit times compared to formula-fed infants, highlighting dietary differences in early infancy.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Gastroenterology
- Infant Nutrition
Background:
- Limited data exists on normal infant defecation patterns related to diet in early infancy.
- Understanding these patterns is crucial for assessing infant health and development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively investigate fecal weight and gastrointestinal passage time in breastfed versus formula-fed male infants.
- To compare defecation patterns between different infant diets during the first months of life.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 12 breastfed and 14 formula-fed male infants.
- Fecal weight and gastrointestinal passage time were measured over 72-hour periods at multiple time points (17 to 113 days of age).
Main Results:
- Breastfed infants exhibited significantly lower daily dry fecal weight compared to formula-fed infants across all study periods.
- Gastrointestinal passage time showed greater variability in breastfed infants (ranging from 1.79 to 75 hours) than in formula-fed infants (ranging from 5.38 to 35.25 hours).
Conclusions:
- Despite formula advancements, significant differences in infant defecation patterns related to diet persist.
- These diet-related differences in fecal output and gut transit time are relevant for clinical practice in infant care.
Abstract:
Data on normal defaecation patterns in relation to diet during the first months of infancy are very limited. We therefore investigated in a prospective study faecal weight and gastro-intestinal passage time of breast fed (n = 12) and formula fed (n = 14) male infants. These were studied in 72 h collecting periods at the age of 17, 35, 57, 87 and 113 (+/- 4) days. Breast fed infants had a significantly lower daily dry faecal weight than formula fed infants in all periods investigated (median at the age of 113 days: 0.28 (0.17-0.75) g/kg and 0.81 (0.22-1.2) g/kg, respectively). Breast fed infants showed a large variation of gastro-intestinal passage time (6.79 h [range: 1.79-13.38 h] at the age of 17 days, 21.84 h [range: 5.41-75 h] at the age of 113 days). Comparable values of formula red infants were 13.75 h (range: 7.13-35.25 h) and 17.42 h (range: 5.38-36.5 h). Despite the efforts of approximation of infant formula to breast milk, differences of defaecation patterns in relation to diet are still relevant at this age and have to be considered in clinical practice.